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"A wonderful, splendid book--a book that should be ready by every American, student or otherwise, who wants to understand his country, its true history, and its hope for the future." --Howard Fast

With a new introduction by Anthony Arnove, this edition of the classic national bestseller chronicles American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official narrative taught in schools—with its emphasis on great men in high places—to focus on the street, the home and the workplace.

Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's Historyof the United States is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of—and in the words of—America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers. As historian Howard Zinn shows, many of our country's greatest battles—the fights for a fair wage, an eight-hour workday, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women's rights, racial equality—were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance.

Covering Christopher Columbus's arrival through President Clinton's first term, A People's History of the United States features insightful analysis of the most important events in our history.

Howard Zinn (1922-2010) was a historian, playwright, and social activist. His many books includeA People's History of the United States, which has sold more than two million copies.

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Reviews

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Twitch from
Worth every last jot and tittleA few years ago, my husband and I visited a state park in Nevada. As Canadians, we were shocked that the staff of the park/museum didn't know that Nevada had been part of the land 'acquired' by the United States from Mexico, or when that might have happened.
Professor Zinn's text held open a trove of shock and awe for me in a similar order, this time in the way of knocking back my ignorance with a direct and clear statement of the many sides of the history of the American Republic and its Empire. This history helps me to see mirrored and inflected the similar episodes of shock and awe in Canadian history.

Date published: 2018-03-13

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Robert from
Telling book, a necessary readOne of the foremost books of our times, it really is what type of history should be taught. Heard only of this while watching 'Good Will Hunting' in 1997. Chomsky is also a big fan of Zinn, and I wish more people were as well.

Date published: 2017-12-20

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Sarahhhh from
ComprehensiveProfessor Emeritus, Howard Zinn was an incredible writer and lecturer, as well as a civil rights activist. I've read critical reviews of his writing, that he is overly biased- but the point of the book is to be the antidote to the whole "history was written by the winners" viewpoint.
It's a dense and carefully researched book, and a lot of events of American history that have a tendency to be glossed over (slavery, segregation, the treatment of Native Americans, the Vietnam War) are covered in detail, and not in a flattering way. It's impossible to write history without some bias, but in no way is this an apologist narrative.

Date published: 2017-12-12

Rated 5 out of
5 by
john from
IlluminatingA great companion to understanding why the U.S, as a national entity, is the way it is...

Date published: 2017-12-04

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Yves from
A very thourough historyThis has been one of my favorite historical works. Mr Zinn certainly did write this book as "the people's history". An important work in my opinion.

Date published: 2017-10-21

Rated 3 out of
5 by
Matthew from
Very Very In DepthI preferred the second half of this book as the information was more relevant to me.